Project Zero

Water neutrality means that new housing developments do not increase total water demand on local supplies.

This can be achieved by:

• Reducing water use through water-efficient fittings, appliances and water saving behaviours.
• Reusing water by utilising water reuse technologies such as rainwater harvesting and greywater recycling.
• Offsetting extra demand such as retrofitting existing buildings with water efficient devices or water reuse systems in local non-domestic settings.

A NAV (New Appointment and Variation) is a water company licensed to serve a specific development or site.

NAVs:

• Provide water and/or wastewater services to new housing sites.
• Enable customer choice, developers can select their preferred supplier for water and/or wastewater services.
• Partner with Project Zero to deliver water-neutral housing.
• Help promote competition and innovation.

At Bidwell West in Houghton Regis, we partnered with IWNL, a licensed New Appointment and Variation (NAV) company, to trial water neutrality at 908 new homes by reducing water use through behaviour change and offsetting consumption from non-household properties.

Results:

• 42% of households took a water-saving pledge.
• Participants saved around 32.9 litres per day.
• Fixing a leaking toilet at a school had a savings of around 7,000 litres per day.
• The site achieved water positivity, returning 12,000 litres more water daily than it used.

Stay up to date with our Project Zero activities and water neutrality trials.

• Water Neutrality at NAV Sites – Insights on Sustainable Housing Water Projects
• Project Zero: Lessons Learned – How to Achieve Water Neutrality in New Developments

Water neutrality works best when everyone gets involved.

All new homes pay a £127 Environmental Component charge. Developers installing water-efficient fittings may qualify for Incentive credits — check your eligibility here.

An Independent Steering Committee of industry experts and academics oversees Project Zero.

Their role:

• Ensure the project stays credible and deliverable.
• Review progress and tackle emerging challenges.
• Share best practice across the UK water industry.